Anatomy of Google Search Results

There are three things you can usually (but not always) control in Google search results for your website and social profiles and pages: the title, page URL and description.

The title is shown first in a search result. This is made up of 50 to 60 characters generally found in the SEO title of a page. The SEO title for Social Media Examiner (as shown in the Google search result above) is:

For Google search results, also note that Google can only pull information that is available on your public profile. This means you need to log out of each social network completely to see what your profile or page looks like. Anything that isn’t publicly viewable won’t be indexed by Google.

Here’s how to use keywords in your social profiles and pages to improve your visibility in search results.

#1: Optimize Your Facebook Page

When it comes to Facebook pages, you’ll see that most pages appear in Google search results like this.

Toyota’s Facebook page in Google search results.

Google’s search results use the Facebook page name, short description, number of likes and number of people talking about the page.

Specific elements of a Facebook page appear in Google search results.

In terms of keyword optimization, Facebook pages with keywords in the page name generally rank higher in Google search, as you can see below in a search for “cars on Facebook.” Although Toyota is a top brand for cars, their Facebook page doesn’t appear in the first page of search results.

Facebook pages optimized for the keyword “cars.”

Facebook search, on the other hand, uses more than just your page name. When you start a search for “cars,” you’ll see an option to click on Cars Pages.

A search for cars on Facebook.

When you click on Cars Pages, you’ll get pages in the Cars subcategory, found under the main brand or product category for pages.

Brand pages in Facebook search results.

If you switch your search term to just the keyword “cars” (without selecting Cars Pages), you have the option to find search results for that keyword under People, Photos, Pages, Places, Groups, Apps and Events.

If you’re a local business owner, note that your page will appear in Facebook search under Places based on your proximity to the searcher and the category of your page. In this case “car” or “cars” must be in the subcategory.

Local business pages in search results.

Key takeaway: If you want your page to come up in Google search for a keyword, that keyword needs to be in your page’s name. To come up in Facebook search, that keyword needs to be in your page’s subcategory.

#2: Optimize Your Twitter Profile

When it comes to Twitter profiles, you’ll see that most profiles appear in Google search results like this:

Twitter profile in Google search.

Instead of using the Twitter bio as the meta description for your profile in search results, Google pulls one of your latest tweets along with your profile name, username, number of followers, number of photos and videos and number of tweets.

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In terms of keyword optimization, Twitter profiles with keywords in the name or username generally rank higher in Google search, as you can see below in a search for “cars on Twitter.” Again, although Toyota is a top brand for cars, their Twitter profile does not appear in the first page of search results.

Twitter profiles optimized for the keyword “cars.”

In search results on Twitter, profiles that are related to the keyword or phrase searched will appear, even if they don’t have the keyword in the name, username or bio.

Twitter search results for a specific keyword.

For example, Top Gear isn’t optimized for cars, but is a well-known show about them. Further down in the results, you also see unrelated queries with a keyword match, like a profile for a musician named Carly.

Key takeaway: If you want your Twitter profile to come up in Google search for a keyword, that keyword needs to be in your profile name or username. To come up in Twitter search, that keyword must be textually relevant to your account. Including it in the name, username or bio can also help.

#3: Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page

Google pulls your company page name and description for their search results.

Specific elements of the LinkedIn company page that appear in Google search results.

In terms of keyword optimization, LinkedIn company pages with keywords in the page name generally rank higher in Google search, as you can see below in a search for “cars on LinkedIn.”

LinkedIn company pages optimized for the keyword “cars.”

In search results on LinkedIn, company pages that have the keyword or phrase searched in their name will appear first.

LinkedIn search results for a specific keyword.

Key takeaway: If you want your company page to come up in Google or LinkedIn search for a keyword, that keyword needs to be in your company page name.

#4: Optimize Your Other Social Accounts

Now that you understand how profiles and pages from the top social networks appear in search and how keyword placement can help your rankings, let’s take a quick look at how to optimize your profiles and pages for other networks.

For Google+ pages, Google uses the profile name and a snippet from the introduction in search results. Pages with a specific keyword in the name rank best in search on Google and in Google+ search.

For YouTube channels, Google uses the channel name and description in search results. Videos with a specific keyword in the video name are more likely to appear in Google search over channels. Channels with a specific keyword in the channel name rank best in YouTube search under the Channels filter.

You can use SEO tactics to improve visibility for all your social profiles. Image: Shutterstock.

For Instagram profiles, Google uses the profile name, username and bio in search results. Profiles with a specific keyword in the name rank best in search on Google and in the Instagram app.

For Pinterest profiles, Google uses the profile name and description in search results. Pinterest boards with a specific keyword in the board name are more likely to appear in Google search results over profiles. Profiles with a specific keyword in the name will rank best in Pinterest search under the Pinners filter.

Conclusion

The takeaways for keyword optimization with social profiles and pages are as follows. If you can get your keyword or phrase in your profile or page name, it will help it rank best in keyword searches on Google and within the social network search itself. But ultimately, the name of your profile or page should be focused on branding for your business name.

What do you think? Does this inspire you to optimize your social profiles for search? In what other ways do you use keywords in your social media profiles and pages? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

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